Track-scraper



(No Model.)

f H. H. LITTELL.

TRAGK SURAPER. No. 385,062. Patented June 26, 1888.

ITIM

HARDIN H; LITTELL, OF LOUISVILLE, KENTUCKY.

TRACK-SCRAPER.

SPECIFICATION forming-part of Letters Patent No. 385,062, dated June 26,1888.

Application filed October-31, 1887. Serial No. 253,862. (No model.)

T0 on whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, HARDIN H. LITTELL, a citizen of the United States,residing at Louisville, in the county of Jefferson and State ofKentucky, have invented certain new and useful Improvements inTrack-Scrapers for Railroads, of which the following is so full, clear,and exact a description as will enable others skilled in the art towhich my invention appertains to make and use the same, reference beinghad to the accompanying drawings, in which-- s Figure 1 is a perspectiveview of the front portion of a car-platform provided with a scraperembodying my invention. Fig. 2 is a detail view of my improvedscraperblade. Fig. 3 is a transverse vertical section of my improvedblade,taken on the lineXX of Fig. 2.

The object of my invention is to provide a track-scraper which shalleffectually dig up and throw out any foreign matter which may accumulateon or near the rail to such an extent as to interfere with the movementof the car-wheels over the rail or to derail the car as it is passingalong the track.

Another object of my invention is to pro vide a scraper-blade fortrack-scrapers which will effectually do the work of clearing the trackwithout liability of injury to the track or to the scraper-blade.

Another object of my invention is to provide an improved removable shoefor the scraper-blade of a device of the character above described.

With these general objects in view I proceed to accomplish the-same byconstructing and arranging the parts as will be hereinafter fullydescribed in connection with the accompanying drawings, which form apart of this specification.

Throughout the accompanying illustralions the main blade of the scraperis designated by the letter A. This blade A is secured to a rock-shaft,B, which is operated by a leverarm, 0, attached to a foot-piece, D,which is secured to the platform in the usual way, as is fully describedin the application of H. M. Littell, filed February 6, 1886, Serial No.191,035, which is referred to here as a crossreference, as required bythe rules of practice of the Patent Office. The blade A in the presentcase tapers slightly toward the front and is made concavo-convex incross-section. This curve in the scraper admirably adapts it for use inany connection and imparts to the particles of debris which are stirredup by the agitator a rotary motion, which, taken together with themomentum given to them by the action of the scraper in moving along thetrack, causes the particles to roll well up and back away from the railsand track. The blade A is depressed at a, where the material of whichthe blade is made is bent at an angle to the general line of the face ofthe blade,and

slightly beyond this bend a is a second bend, a, where the material ofwhich the blade is formed again runs parallel with the .face of theblade proper in a plane somewhat below or beyond the plane of the faceof the main portion of the blade. Bybcnding the blade as described, andas shown in detail in Fig.3, a recess is formed,into which I fitaremovable shoe, E. This shoeE is made of a hard piece of steel on theoutside, which I letter F, and of a soft piece of iron or steel on theinside, which I letterG. This shoe is made of sufficient thickness tobring its face up flush with the face of the blade A, forming a smoothmold-board as an entirety, as will be clearly seen by reference to thedrawings. This removable shoe E is made of hard and soft material,combined in the manner shown and described, for the purpose of givingadditional strength and durability to the shoe, to prevent accidentalbreaking of the shoe, and.to provide a shoe which, by reason of itsconstruction, will not be seriously and instantly affected by a blowwhich it may receive while in use.

Experience has taught that a removable shoe for scrapers made of a solidpiece of steel is objectionable for the following reasons: First, it isliable to break as soon as it comes into violent contact with anyobstruction along the track; second, its face being brittle and its rearlower edge being entirely uueushioned and unsupported by any soft oryielding material, the shoe is liable to chi p and break from theslightest causes. It is with a view to obviating these disadvantagesthat I have constructed the device which is made the subject of thisapplication.

I do not wish to be understood as limiting myself to the exact shape andconstruction shown in the drawings, as it is obvious that these detailsmight be changed withoutdeparting from the spirit of my invention andwithout destroying its usefulness.

The agitator H is slightly curved or dished, 5 as will be elearlyseen byreference to Fig. 2. This adapts it better to its use and serves to moreeffectually throw the debris from the line of the track.

Having now described the objects, uses, advantages, and construction ofmy device, what I believe'to be new, and desire to secure by LettersPatent, and what I therefore claim, is

1. In ascraper of the character described, the main blade, incombination with the removable shoe, which shoe is made of alternatelayers of hard and soft material, substantially as and for the purposesspecified.

2. In a scraper of the character described, the main scraper-blade,depressed as described, 20 in combination with a removable shoe made ofalternate layers of hard and soft material, the hard material on theoutside or front of the shoe, substantially as and for the purposesspecified.

3. As a new article of manufacture, a removable shoe for scraper-blades,constructed, substantially as described, with alternate layers of hardand soft material, as and for the purposes set forth.

4. As a new article of manufacture, a detachable' shoe for scrapers madeof alternate layers of hard and soft material and provided with a curvedor dished agitator, substantially as and for the purposes specified.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature in 5 the presence of twowitnesses.

I-IAR'DIN H. LITTELL.

Witnesses:

J. M. PETTUS, O. G. HAYDON.

